Chapter 88

"Your immortal root may be poor, only a fifth-grade, but your talent and insight in martial arts and techniques are truly extraordinary. You are likely already at the fourth level of the Qi Practitioner realm, and I believe it will take you no more than four or five years to reach the sixth level of the Qi Practitioner realm."

Li Chongzhen said this calmly, but his eyes showed a hint of kindness and expectation: "At the age of twenty, you have mastered four profound techniques. Talents like you are most favored by our Lichen Sect. Three years from now, I will strongly recommend you to my seniors, and you will surely become a True Disciple."

Zhuang Wudao was initially startled, thinking that Li Chongzhen had already seen through his Concealment Technique and knew his true cultivation level.

But he soon realized that if this person knew he had refined a Stone Brightness Flame, how could he not guess that his cultivation had greatly advanced?

"Three years from now, you will surely become a True Disciple?" Is this a subtle warning for me to wait until the grand competition in three years?

This person stood out among thousands of Qi Practitioners in the Lichen Sect and became a patrol envoy. In the future, he is very likely to become a Dao Pavilion True Person. His connections within the Lichen Sect are not shallow, and he might indeed have the ability to do so.

Yun'er's voice then echoed in his mind: "This person is impolite and has ulterior motives! According to my knowledge, the best time to cultivate the Lichen Sect's top techniques is as early as possible, ideally before the age of twenty when the bones and sinews have not yet set. Missing this time, future cultivation in the first three realms will be much more difficult. If you do not wish to join the Lichen Sect, that's fine. But if you are determined to join, you must not miss this opportunity."

Zhuang Wudao was already secretly sneering, and now he felt a chill in his heart. Even without Yun'er's reminder, he had no intention of agreeing. Not to mention whether he would even be alive in three years. Even if he could wait three years, there might not be such an opportunity again!

Entering the sect as the top disciple of the academy only gives you the qualification to become a True Disciple of the Lichen Sect. Whether you can become one depends on whether you are chosen by the Golden Core cultivators or the later-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators with True Disciple status. After reaching the Foundation Establishment realm, your status automatically becomes a True Disciple.

The Lichen Sect has eight hundred academies, and the grand competition is held every three years. There are too many 'top disciples.' However, the number of Golden Core cultivators in the Lichen Sect is limited, with fewer than sixty in total, and they often take on a disciple only once every few decades.

In the Lichen Sect, there are nearly a thousand disciples with the qualification to become True Disciples, but only one in a hundred can actually become one!

This time is different. Four Golden Core cultivators and 134 Foundation Establishment cultivators are simultaneously accepting disciples, and most of them are limited to the Dongwu region. He has a fifty percent chance of directly becoming a True Disciple. With the support of the Beiting family, his chances increase to at least seventy to eighty percent.

But if he waits three more years—whether Li Chongzhen will have the ability to make him a True Disciple in the Lichen Sect is questionable. Whether he will keep his promise is also uncertain, and there are many variables.

It is also quite ironic that three months ago, his greatest dream was to pass the Heavenly Path and become an inner disciple of the Lichen Sect.

But at this moment, the status of an inner disciple is already easy for him. He is now determined to become a True Disciple.

Seeing that Zhuang Wudao showed no interest, Li Chongzhen smiled again: "The four Golden Core cultivators and seventeen peak Foundation Establishment cultivators who are accepting disciples this time are mostly from my Mingcuifeng lineage. If you are interested, I can introduce you to them. Although the Beiting family is powerful in Yuecheng, they are not part of the Lichen Sect. Talents like you are rare, even within the Lichen Sect. It would be a pity to let you go to waste. However, young people need patience. Even if you lose today, don't be discouraged."

By the time he heard the last few sentences, Zhuang Wudao's eyes had already narrowed dangerously.

Failed to persuade, now he is threatening? This Li Chongzhen truly has a wicked heart!

If his resolve were slightly weaker and he were swayed by these words, he would not be able to give his all in the battle against Gu Yueming.

The situation is also a bit strange. This person's efforts for the Gu Yue family today are not just to balance the situation in Yuecheng.

However, Li Chongzhen's words left no room for accusation. Even if someone heard them, they would not be enough to prove anything. Li Chongzhen could easily claim that he was just showing his appreciation for Zhuang Wudao's talent.

But the most infuriating thing was not this. As soon as Li Chongzhen walked away, Zhuang Wudao heard a dull thud behind him.

Zhuang Wudao turned around in surprise and saw Xia Miao, along with a few servants, placing a red-lacquered coffin behind him.

Ma Yuan and Lin Han, who were watching from behind, were so angry that their faces turned pale and their eyes turned red, staring at Xia Miao. If it weren't for his status, they would have attacked him by now.

Zhuang Wudao's gaze also became sharp. Although he knew Xia Miao's attitude towards this battle was ambiguous, the fact that he placed a coffin behind him before the battle even started was either a sign that he thought Zhuang Wudao was certain to die or a curse.

Xia Miao, however, was unperturbed: "Gu Yueming claims that his sword skills were honed on the battlefield. Once he draws his sword, it must draw blood. In battle, he never leaves his opponents alive. Of course, the previous few don't count—"

In the previous matches, those few people had struggled to delay Gu Yueming for a whole day, so he didn't kill them. Also, he didn't use his true skills, and his sword techniques were not even half-exposed.

Zhuang Wudao had already understood Gu Yueming's ruthlessness two months ago when the Luoshan Academy challenged the Lichen Sect.

"I have had the fortune to see him use his profound techniques twice, and indeed, they are all deadly moves that leave no survivors. He hates you to the bone and will not show any mercy. I have prepared a coffin for you in advance so that you won't have to look for one to bury your body after you die!"

Zhuang Wudao was so angry that he didn't bother to argue with this person and followed Li Chongzhen onto the stage. In this match, Gu Yueming used an ordinary fine steel sword. With a weapon in hand, he had a slight advantage, and Zhuang Wudao could also bring armor and weapons to balance the fight. Zhuang Wudao wore a set of fine black iron armor made by the Xia family's Hundred Weapons Hall and a pair of gold-thread gloves, with iron guards hidden in his sleeves, fully armed.

These items were not magical artifacts and were of little use to him. However, in this life-or-death battle, Zhuang Wudao would not complain about having too much protection.

As for the Qingyun Sword on his back, it had already been inspected and was found to be only slightly better than an ordinary steel sword.

However, when Zhuang Wudao stood steady on the stage, he heard a chorus of boos from the crowd below, the sound waves overwhelming. Some people even threw stones and trash at him.

Zhuang Wudao narrowed his eyes and scanned the crowd, then sneered inwardly. These people want to win money from me? They must be dreaming!

In addition, many young girls were screaming for Gu Yueming. Gu Yueming was handsome, and although Zhuang Wudao was also quite good-looking, compared to him, it was like comparing a porcelain vase to a clay pot.

"Listen clearly, in today's Lichen Grand Competition, all elixirs, magical artifacts, and pet beasts are strictly prohibited. Any violation will be severely punished! The competition should be controlled, and you must not intentionally harm each other—"

The silk handkerchief thrown by Li Chongzhen slowly drifted between them. Gu Yueming, however, stared at Zhuang Wudao without blinking.

"Before the autumn wind arrives, the cicada senses it! Any cultivator who reaches a certain level in martial arts can have this spiritual intuition. When we first met, Brother Zhuang was still a Qi Practitioner. But even then, I could sense that you would be the greatest obstacle for the Gu Yue family in this Lichen Grand Competition! After that, I devised countless plans to eliminate you, but unfortunately, they all failed. After the battle in Dongchuan Alley, I realized that your strength far exceeded my expectations! Even Fei Xiushen was defeated by you."

Gu Yueming placed his hand on the sword at his waist, which was an ordinary steel sword. Despite knowing this, Zhuang Wudao still felt a fierce and overwhelming aura rushing towards his throat and chest, making his back cold.

"Although things did not go as planned, when I heard about Fei Xiushen's death half a day ago, I felt more joy than sorrow, my heart was unusually excited, almost uncontrollable. I have practiced the sword for ten years, and no one has ever been able to withstand three moves from me. Although I have received praise from my elders, I often feel lonely. Fighting against an opponent like you, how exhilarating! In today's battle, you, Zhuang Wudao, will fight for your life, and I, Gu Yueming, will also give it my all! This is not just a matter of you betting everything; I have no retreat either. The winner will rise to the clouds, and the loser will have no place to stand!"

As the silk handkerchief landed, a sharp sword light immediately shot towards Zhuang Wudao. Before he could see how Gu Yueming drew his sword, the bone-chilling cold was already at his neck.

Fortunately, his Bull Demon Yuan Body cultivation was not as slow as ordinary physical cultivation techniques, and he was already prepared. Before the sword light reached his vital neck area, he made a blocking move.

A sharp 'clang' sounded as the sword struck the iron guard in his sleeve. The fierce sword energy cut through the guard and the armor on his hand like soft mud.

An ordinary fine steel sword, in Gu Yueming's hands, was as sharp as a divine weapon. It was only stopped by the Yuan Magnetic Aura outside Zhuang Wudao's body and bounced back.

Gu Yueming was not surprised. The sword light retreated and merged into the moonlight, reappearing with a fierce wind, piercing towards Zhuang Wudao's chest.

The sound of the wind whistled, and Zhuang Wudao, before Gu Yueming could pierce through his chest armor, grabbed the sword blade with his hand. If he could trap and break the sword, preventing Gu Yueming from using his sword skills, he would win the battle!

However, in the next moment, the sword shadow shrank again. Before it touched Zhuang Wudao's hand, it retreated and slashed towards his left ear.

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